Electoral Integrity in an Increasingly Digital World
| dc.contributor.author | Zugay, Jonathan | |
| dc.contributor.committeeMember | Tuckness | |
| dc.contributor.department | Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering | |
| dc.contributor.department | Department of Political Science | |
| dc.contributor.majorProfessor | Tuckness, Alex | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-08-20T18:07:55Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-08-20T18:07:55Z | |
| dc.date.copyright | 2025 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2025-08 | |
| dc.description.abstract | As digital technologies continue reshaping the foundations of democratic participation across the globe, electoral cybersecurity has emerged as an urgent and unavoidable point of concern. Threats to election security are no longer hypothetical; they are now routine features of the digital political landscape. Building on prior literature, this research article takes a closer look at where legal and ethical frameworks still fall short when it comes to defending electoral integrity in the digital age. Focusing primarily on Romania and Moldova, two nations particularly vulnerable to external manipulation, and supplementing this analysis with comparative lessons from the United States and Estonia, this study evaluates the effectiveness of frameworks such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and the European Union’s GDPR (Godzimirski, 2024; Politico, 2024; Vainaite, 2025). By analyzing how legal gaps, ethical challenges, and enforcement weaknesses overlap, this research proposes a more integrated policy approach, one that emphasizes not only stronger regulations but also digital literacy, transparency, and deeper international cooperation. In an era where adversarial misinformation and algorithmic manipulation have become strategic tools against democracy, safeguarding electoral processes requires a comprehensive and adaptive response. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | https://dr.lib.iastate.edu/handle/20.500.12876/106120 | |
| dc.language.iso | en_US | |
| dc.rights | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States | * |
| dc.rights.holder | Jonathan Zugay | |
| dc.rights.uri | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/ | * |
| dc.subject.disciplines | DegreeDisciplines::Social and Behavioral Sciences | |
| dc.subject.keywords | Politics, Europe, Election | |
| dc.title | Electoral Integrity in an Increasingly Digital World | |
| dc.type | Text | |
| dc.type.genre | creativecomponent | |
| dspace.entity.type | Publication | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | a75a044c-d11e-44cd-af4f-dab1d83339ff | |
| relation.isOrgUnitOfPublication | a4a018a7-4afa-4663-ba11-f2828cbd0a15 | |
| thesis.degree.discipline | Cyber Security | |
| thesis.degree.level | Masters | |
| thesis.degree.name | Master of Science |
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- As digital technologies continue reshaping the foundations of democratic participation across the globe, electoral cybersecurity has emerged as an urgent and unavoidable point of concern. Threats to election security are no longer hypothetical; they are now routine features of the digital political landscape. Building on prior literature, this research article takes a closer look at where legal and ethical frameworks still fall short when it comes to defending electoral integrity in the digital age. Focusing primarily on Romania and Moldova, two nations particularly vulnerable to external manipulation, and supplementing this analysis with comparative lessons from the United States and Estonia, this study evaluates the effectiveness of frameworks such as the Budapest Convention on Cybercrime and the European Union’s GDPR (Godzimirski, 2024; Politico, 2024; Vainaite, 2025). By analyzing how legal gaps, ethical challenges, and enforcement weaknesses overlap, this research proposes a more integrated policy approach, one that emphasizes not only stronger regulations but also digital literacy, transparency, and deeper international cooperation. In an era where adversarial misinformation and algorithmic manipulation have become strategic tools against democracy, safeguarding electoral processes requires a comprehensive and adaptive response.